Daily wellness checks for seniors and others who are frail
9 March 2025
We recently read the tragic story about the deaths of actor Gene Hackman, who had advanced dementia, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, who managed him. She contracted hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a potentially lethal infection spread from rodents or the deer mouse in New Mexico, where they lived. She became sick and was unable to care for herself or her husband. Mr. Hackman appears to have died from lack of care.
I suggest that seniors, whether living alone or as a couple, would benefit from daily wellness checks to ensure that no crisis has occurred. The wellness check could be a brief phone call from or to a friend or relative or via a free or paid app. I just downloaded the free app Snug Safety which provides a daily check-in. If you miss the check-in, it phones your emergency contact. There is also a paid option to have someone else contact you. Your local senior center may also have a free daily wellness check.
Any of these options would have been helpful with my grandmother, of blessed memory, who decades ago fell and broke her hip while living out of town. It took some time for someone to find her on the floor.
Of course, the wellness check may be useful for any individual or couple who might be considered frail or at risk for a crisis, not just seniors. Who do you know that might benefit from this service?
What do you think? Comment below or contact me at NatPernick@gmail.com
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I totally agree that we need to reach out to those who are frail and at risk. I keep tabs twice daily on a couple in their nineties. I live only a few minutes away and their 5 kids all live out of town. I wouldn't have it any other way. It gives me peace of mind and is personally gratifying because they know someone else actually cares. Life can be so isolating for the elderly
I have my 92-year-old mother, who still lives alone, email me first thing each morning. That email just says, “Okay,” as in, she’s still with us. If I don’t get the email I call her, and if there was no answer, I would drive to her house. This is not the only communication we have of course, but a critical one. She lives in apartment house populated mostly by older folks, and there have been several times when a neighbor alone died and was not found for several days.